Tony Stark vs the Daily Bugle
by RavenclawPrincess238
Summary: Tony knew that the media was a terrible thing. He just didn't think they would ever go after Spiderman. While being angry at this newspaper, Tony learns that Peter may be more secretive than he originally thought...


Tony Stark liked to think that he was tougher than anything printed on paper. After years of tabloids and newspapers that tried to ruin his name, he believed he could look at any paper and never lose his cool.

Well, that's what he _thought._ The reality of it was, he took one glance at a certain paper and almost charged into its headquarters and showed every employee that dared work there what the end of his repulsors looked like. And while Pepper could convince him not to do that, ("Honestly Tony, we do not need that kind of press!") she couldn't stop him from ranting all the way home and for a while there too.

"How on earth can they say these things?!" Tony yelled exasperatedly for the fourth time. He looked down at the newspaper in his hands. The headline, **Spiderman, Super Hero or Super Menace?** was barely visible from the multiple times he had squeezed and crunched it, and he threw it onto the coffee table in anger. "He's out there, saving people's asses and helping little old ladies cross the streets and they dare say he's terrorizing them?! Why, I have half a mind to go and buy this Daily Bugle and force them to only print stories about how amazing Spiderman is!" Sitting on the couch, Pepper rolled her eyes.

"And what will that solve? You don't even know how to run a newspaper," she pointed out.

"Then I'll hire someone who does!" Tony roared.

"Hire someone who does what?" came a voice from the other side of the room. Tony and Pepper turned to see Rhodey standing in the doorway, looking baffled.

"Tony's mad at a newspaper because they printed a mean article about Peter," Pepper explained.

"Oh no, I did research on the way home! FRIDAY, pull up all Daily Bugle articles relating to Spiderman," Tony ordered. Instantly, about a hundred holograms appeared, and from a quick scan, everyone could tell that not one article was positive about the arachnid vigilante.

"So why exactly have you been yelling for the past several minutes?" Rhodey inquired.

"Because he's a billionaire helicopter parent who wants to solve this with money," Pepper said.

"I am not a helicopter parent!" Tony snapped.

"Fine, helicopter mentor then," she amended, rolling her eyes while Rhodey snickered. "The point is, you are taking this way too far."

"Excuse me? I'm trying to protect the kid! How on earth am I taking this too far?" Tony asked, clearly losing steam from his long winded rant.

"The kid knew what he signed up for. He knew that being a super hero or vigilante would mean that not everyone would be on his side. And if you don't think he realized that, then you clearly underestimate his intelligence," Pepper said coolly. "Not to mention, if you take down this paper, another two will appear in its place. You should know by now that's how the media works." Tony, who had clearly been building a retort as she was speaking, stood silently, unsure of what to say. Rhodey let out a whistle.

"She backed you into a corner there bud," he said, slapping Tony on the back. That seemed to knock him back into reality.

"Even so, I just hope the kid hasn't seen these. I don't want him to have to deal with the stupid media hounds too badly. I just want to protect him," he finished in almost a whisper. Pepper looked at him sympathetically.

"I know, and I do too. But he will have to deal with it at some point. He's going to have to build an immunity at some point. I wish he didn't have to." she added somewhat wistfully, "but he will."

Tony nodded. He had known this since the first time he watched that YouTube video, but he always thought of it as a problem for another day. Unfortunately, today was that day. There was a few minutes of silence, then the voice of FRIDAY filled the room.

"Boss, Happy has arrived with Peter Parker." Tony's eyes widened as he swiped his hand across the air, causing the holograms to disappear. In his anger at the Daily Bugle, he had forgotten that Peter was coming over to replace the parachute in his suit. (While Peter had done it enough times that he was pretty sure he could do it in his sleep, Tony liked to do it with him. Just to make sure. Couldn't have any malfunctions after all.)

About thirty seconds later, Peter came bounding in, visibly causing Tony to loosen up.

"Hey Mr. Stark! Mr. Rhodes! Ms. Potts!" greeted Peter enthusiastically. Pepper and Rhodey smiled at him.

"Hey Peter," said Pepper, holding her arms out for a hug. Pepper had quickly taken a motherly attitude around Peter from the time she first met him, and almost always insisted that she receive a hug from him when seeing him. (Little known fact, Peter Parker gives the best hugs on the planet). Peter grinned and walked over to her, allowing himself to be pulled into the embrace. After she finally let go, his gaze wandered.

"Hey, what's this?" he asked, picking up the crumbled newspaper on the coffee table that Tony had thrown earlier. Panic flooded Tony's mind. How could he have forgotten the thing that had set off his whole angry ranting episode earlier?

"Wait!" he yelled, but it was too late. He watched, hand outstretched, as the sweet, innocent, and (in his mind) fragile, Peter Parker unfurled and began to read the article that called him a menace to society that should disappear. He waited for ten agonizing seconds for the tears to well up, for him to throw the paper, for him to ask why they were calling the foul things in the article.

Those things never happened. Instead, Peter just chuckled.

Wait, what?

Tony looked at the teen dumbfounded. He chuckled? What? Peter looked over at his mentor, and raised his eyebrows at the dumbfounded look on his face.

"What's that look for?" Peter asked quizzically. Tony was still at a loss for words while the other two were observing, quite confused as well.

"The...the newspaper..." Tony managed to get out. An amused smile appeared on Peter's face.

"Yeah, they need to get more original. I'm pretty sure that's an article they've published before, just a different photo," he remarked. Tony spluttered incomprehensible noises, before adding

"You've read this paper before?!" At that, Peter's smirk widened.

"You didn't look too closely at this, did you?" He stated more than asked while taking the paper over to Tony. He handed it over to him, pointing at some text that he had missed earlier.

 _Photo by Peter Parker_

After reading that, Tony's brain ground to a halt. For a solid thirty seconds, Tony stared at that sentence, not quite comprehending what it said.

"WHAT?!" he finally managed.

"What?" Rhodey and Pepper both asked, walking over to see what caused the loud shout. They both read it and looked at Peter, shocked as well. Peter shrugged.

"I told you I got a part time job at a newspaper. You just never asked for the specifics," he said.

"So you work for the newspaper that seems intent on turning the public against you?" Tony asked exasperatedly. Peter shrugged again.

"They always need new Spiderman pictures, and they pay pretty well for them," he explained. There was a few seconds of silence, when Rhodey started roaring with laughter.

"So, you're basically getting paid to take selfies?" he asked incredulously. Peter gave a shy smile.

"Yeah, pretty much." Rhodey laughed again.

"That is so smart and almost diabolical. I'm proud of you, little spiderling," he told him. Peter smiled sheepishly.

"Aren't you worried about people figuring out your secret identity though? How many other people could take such great photos?" Tony pointed out. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, J. Jonah Jameson has so many theories, I don't think he will ever be able to figure out who I actually am. He makes sure all his theories are public, and has never even gotten close to suspecting me. Also, how many people would suspect Spiderman to send in pictures of himself to a paper trying to trash his name?" Peter asked. Tony had to admit that he did have a point.

"I still don't like it," he said stubbornly.

"Well, what are you gonna do?" Peter said. "Life goes on."

"Well said Peter," Pepper praised. "Now, don't you boys have something to play with rather than talk about a stupid newspaper?" she asked. Both of them seemed to remember then why Peter had originally come over.

"Ah, as always Ms. Potts, you are correct. Come on kid," Tony said, grabbing Peter's shoulder and maneuvering him in the direction of the lab. He still wanted to burn every single copy of the Daily Bugle and still made a mental note to meet with this J. Jonah Jameson to give him a piece of his mind.

But for now, he was going to hang out with his kid, listen to AC/DC and play with some new ideas with the spidersuit.

 **Sup! I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but whatever. If y'all have any requests, I might make some more oneshots, but I was inspired by a few other stories where they mention the Daily Bugle and just kinda wanted to do this. Anyways, see ya!**


End file.
